I Am a 40 Year Old Women. I Am Looking to Get a Brest Reduction, Will My Age Affect the Scar Healing?

I have child I also breast feed. I was C cup before I got pregnant. I am know a DD I have back pain, burning in my neck if I am too long at the computer. I also have shoulder intentions forum my breasts being to heavy. My breast are not portioned correctly. I am concerned about the scaring at my age. Will the scaring heal and fade in time with my age?

Doctor Answers 7

Age and scars in breast reduction

June 14th, 2014

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Thank you for the photos. It looks like you ma be a good candidate. Some of our breast reduction patients are the happiest that we have in the practice. These are the women with significant bra strapping, back and neck pain. If you are going to reduce the size of the breast significantly, you most likely will have scars. Scars are permanent. They end to fade over time. We have our patients keep the scars away from UV light, and use scar cream. We can talk about scar revision, but usually wait at least a year. Usually the health of the patient and how they take care of the scars has much more to do with the outcome than age. Please see a board certified plastic surgeon.

Timing of breast reduction

March 11th, 2012

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It sounds like you have all the symptoms that go along with mammary hypertrophy. That is the medical term when your breasts cause physical ailments. There is no reason that at your age your scars should not heal well. The average age of my breast reduction patients is 36-38. 6 weeks after surgery the majority of my patients say "I wish I had done it sooner"

Breast Reduction Pictures

You are a great candidate - and 40 is NOT old!

March 4th, 2012

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My 40 something patients heal great - you are actually LESS likely to develop hypertrophic scars as you get older. Hey I am 40 something myself so I take this personally. You need reduction, a lift, and some symmetry work, as your left side is lower and bigger than your right. You will need a lollipop scar, and make sure your PS does liposuction on the side of your breasts at the same time - otherwise this area will appear overly full or even fat afterwards. Also, have your PS query your insurance about coverage, since you have back pain and the shoulder grooves, you may meet the criteria but it depends on your insurance's requirements.

Scars and breast reduction

March 2nd, 2012

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Interestingly enough, the older the patient, often, the kinder the scars. young patients heal very quickly and often wend up with worse scars. Also look into Scarless breast reduction(liposuction only). Find someone local who does this regularly and will give you an ideal how it compares to the traditional procedure. in either case....you should do well. good luck.

Breast reduction at age 40

March 2nd, 2012

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You are a very good candidate for breast reduction surgery. 40 is by no means old and would not contraindicate surgery or raise the risk of complications, barring any unspecified medical conditions. Breast reduction is a great procedure and you should see a board certified plastic surgeon in consultation to discuss how you could benefit from it.

Breast Reduction at Age of 40?

March 1st, 2012

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Thank you for the question and pictures.

Based on the description of your symptoms and your pictures, I think you may be an excellent candidate for breast reduction surgery. Your age is not a contraindication in any way. Breast reduction remains one of the most patient pleasing operations we perform (regardless of the age of the patient). Scarring does generally fade with time, regardless of the age of the patient.

I would suggest that you meet with well experienced board-certified plastic surgeons and communicate your goals in front of a full-length mirror. You may be able to demonstrate what you are trying to achieve doing so. In my practice I alos use goal pictures, to help with this communication process.

Best wishes as you do your research regarding breast reduction surgery; hopefully your only regret after having the surgery performed will be " I wish I had done it sooner".

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